8stepsup.co.uk

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Alby

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Guitars -  Acoustic and Electric

I started playing guitar when I was twelve and by the age of fifteen was playing in a Friday gigging band, this continued to the age of twenty when I left my home town for the bright lights of London where, after a brief flirtation (five years) with blues, Irish folk, folk rock and anything else that people wanted to listen to, I moved to Newcastle upon Tyne where more routine things took over, marriage, proper job , children, etc.

Twenty years later with my guitar gently gathering dust under the bed, save for the occasional blast, I decided that I should start playing again and nearly three years ago I contacted a local band who were looking for a guitarist, after their first choice turned out to be largely unavailable (the invisible guitarist).

I was selected, and after a few personnel changes we became the band “8 steps up”. We always have fun playing and rehearsing and I hope that you enjoy our music as much as we enjoy playing it.

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Geoff

Bass guitar

Before Geoff was old enough to drive, he was half of acoustic duo Mutt’n’Geoff. The only song they knew was Kumbaya, so rather than learn more songs they wrote their own. Lazy blighters.

The lad was then invited to join his hero Jas Spolk playing G banjo (badly) in a five piece folk band. They played a winter season in a summer resort which is a hard way to earn a living.

Geoff then joined Bob Delbridge to form the folk duo Friendly Folk (bad name, good band) playing acoustic guitar and singing. Based in and around Leeds, their blend of folk/pop and humour found them in demand in pubs and clubs. Sufficient  demand for them to survive with no other visible means of support.

They then played a very successful summer season in Guernsey and became quite well known to the people who knew them. As the season closed, Geoff was again invited to front another group – function band Banana Split, later to become Mottley. Several happy years ensue playing at weddings and birthdays, holding several residencies and even making the occasional concert and festival appearance.

Pause music career for day job. A couple of flirtations with a come-back but fast forward too many years to a sudden mid-life desire to play bass guitar and an introduction to friend of a friend George May and the formation of Repreez – originally a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute, but eventually country music with an English accent fronted by the late and truly great performer PJ Ingram – and thus to 8 Steps Up.

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Jane

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Lead/harmony Vocals

I grew up in a house resounding with classical music; however, I was the one who just couldn’t take to all those orderly orchestras. I struggled for a few years at the piano keys of starchy Miss Snipp, and sang in the school choir before turning away from it all.

Instead, I completely fell for the scruffy guitars, voices and rhythms of pop and rock, folk and country, blues and soul.

There are so many bands and singers who send tingles up my spine, I can’t list them all; but among them are the Beatles, Squeeze, and Kirsty MacColl, I’ve always loved singing, and can’t resist a good melody, especially if it’s wrapped up with harmonies.

It was very flattering to be asked to join 8 Steps Up, and it’s a real treat for me to sing with the band.

Lead/harmony vocals

Vacancy

We are looking for a vocalist to share lead/harmony duties with Jane on a permanent basis. Experience of pop hits is essential. We rehearse in the Sevenoaks area and play all over the South East. This is a great opportunity to join a friendly and successful band. If you think you have what it takes to join the front line of 8 Steps Up, please get in touch with Geoff using our enquiry form

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Lora

Keyboards

Lora was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and began piano studies at the age of seven. From 1981 to 1987 she studied at the Bulgarian State Conservatory and was awarded the conservatory's Premier Prix.

During this time she gave many concerts in Eastern Europe including a performance of Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. She also won major prizes in several international piano competitions. Notable amongst these were wins in the International Competition for Young Pianist Virtuosos (Czechoslovakia) and the Bach International Piano Competition (Leipzig) and second prize in the "Maria Callas" International Piano Competition (Athens).

In 1989 Lora won a scholarship and the Craxton Memorial Trust award to come to England and study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There she was awarded a Premier Prix and the Sheriff's Prize for performance. Having come to England, Lora was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT).

Lora has given recitals at many of Britain's major concert halls and music festivals and at the end of 1989 had her Barbican debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano concerto. Since then she has appeared at the Barbican several times and in 1993 gave her Royal Festival Hall debut with the London Concert Orchestra in a performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto.

As well as performing solo works, Lora is in much demand as a chamber musician and in March 1995 won the International Parkhouse Award for Ensembles, playing with the violinist Hanna Weinmeister. In 1997 the duo performed in Switzerland and the Appen Festival of Contemporary Music in Germany.

In 1994 Sir Georg Solti decided to sponsor and present outstanding young musicians in annual concerts at the Wigmore Hall to help them with their careers. Lora was one of the two musicians that he chose to present for the first of these concerts in April 1995. Sir Georg also selected Lora for the 1995 international music competition organised by the European Chimay Foundation in Belgium which she won. This has led to engagements throughout Europe. In 1996, Lora appeared at Festivals in Salzburg and Dresden, performing Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto to critical acclaim with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti.

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Tony

Percussion

Along time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,……well, in the town of Lurgan, Co Armagh, there lived a young lad called Tony. All his friends were into music, they played guitar and looked really cool. Young Tony did not want to be left behind so he thought he should take up an instrument, but he could not quite hack it… instead he started playing drums.

In those days Tony was into heavy rock, playing covers of music by bands like Thin Lizzy, Rush, Rainbow, and Deep Purple. Then things got serious – Tony got a job, wife, family, i.e. no money for drum sticks and shiny new cymbals. The day job took over from the dreams of sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

For a long time Tony toed the line, doing the responsible thing. Then, one day he lost it – he bought a drum kit. He found himself in a blues band, and then another and finally in a Country music band (sort of). The path eventually led Tony to 8 Steps Up, a steep climb, but well worth the effort.